Most vehicles have rigid roof structures that permanently extend over and cover the passenger compartment. Manufacturers also provide a variety of designs that offer the vehicle operator the opportunity to partially or completely uncover the passenger compartment. Sunroofs and moonroofs are some of the simplest designs, and offer the opportunity to open a portion of the vehicle roof for increased airflow. More complicated designs allow the entire roof structure to be retracted and stored behind the passenger compartment.
The most common type of retractable roof design is a convertible soft top or roof. These designs include an articulating structural framework with a flexible cloth or plastic outer skin. In an extended position, the front end of the articulating framework connects to a header above the vehicle windshield and the outer skin extends over the passenger compartment. When retracted, the articulating mechanism, along with the outer skin, fold into a compact shape.
The retracted roof is typically stored in a storage area to the rear of the passenger compartment. In some designs, this storage area is a dedicated storage area forward of a luggage compartment, while in other designs the retracted top consumes part of the luggage space. While it is desirable that the roof package be as compact as possible, there is a general tradeoff between compactness of storage and complexity of design. The designs that store most compactly are also the most complicated and expensive. For some vehicles, it is desirable to have a very simple retractable top design to simplify the vehicle and to reduce cost. In light of this, there is a need for simple, retractable roof designs for certain vehicle applications.